The Walls Came Tumbling Down
=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 6-22-08…AM…SBC 2)“The Walls Came Tumbling Down”
Joshua 6
Introduction: We pick up with this narrative story after witnessing God’s Sovereign hand of control in…
Ø The Promises to Joshua Ch 1
Ø The spying out of Jericho Ch 2
Ø The Crossing of the Jordan Ch 3
Ø The Divine Encounter Ch 5
With God as the main character of each and every narrative story in Joshua we now see the Divine destruction of Jericho
Transition: Through this narrative story we learn that…
Proposition: Obedience emerges from a proper fear of God.
6:1 - This verse sets the stage for the episode at Jericho[1]
1- The problem is stated: Jericho was “tightly shut up.”[2]
a- this was a two-fold problem
1. this is both a problems for Jericho (confinement) and for Israel (more difficulty in battle)
Ø Just like in 3:15 (the Jordan River Crossing) we have a great potential obstacle that is then overcome effortlessly by a mighty act of God.[3]
Bible Geography: Why was Jericho such a great obstacle? (Source: The Walls of Jericho Article)
- there have been plenty of skeptics when it comes to the walls of Jericho spontaneously falling down
Ø In Deut 9:1 Moses told the people that the Promise Land had cities that had walls reaching to the sky
Dimensions (Show picture #1) Bryant Wood: recognized authority on the archeology of Jericho
(he is the director of the Associates for Biblical Research)
- The retaining wall was some four to five meters (12–15 feet) high.
- On top of that was a mud brick wall two meters (six feet) thick and about six to eight meters (20–26 feet) high.
- At the crest of the embankment was a similar mud brick wall whose base was roughly 14 meters (46 feet) above the ground level outside the retaining wall
- Within the upper-wall was a nine acre area of living space
- Excavations tell us that people there was also a living are between the two walls
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Ø Humanly speaking, it was impossible for the Israelites to penetrate the impregnable bastion of Jericho
Transition: Humanly speaking it might have been impossible, but this is exactly what God wanted everyone to see
Verses 3-7 = God’s Instructions to Joshua
Encouragement: (v2) Prophetic Perfect – As good as done in the mind of God
Ø The Army was to march around the city once each day for six days v3
Ø Only on the 7th day were they to march around Jericho 7 times with the priests blowing the trumpets
- after one long trumpet blast the people were to shout and the walls would come crashing down
Read verse 5: “fall down flat” = literally “fall down under itself” (implode)
Ø Joshua relayed the instructions to the priests and then to the people v6-7
Verses 8-11 = Day #1 (circle once and go back to camp)
Verses 12-14 = Day #2-6 (the presence of the Lord was the Ark)
Verses 15-21 = Day #7 (God’s Faithfulness prevails)
Ø Joshua’s speech v16-19
- All the spoils of this victory were to be devoted to God – no one was to taken anything for themselves
o the annihilation of everything, included killing all the people in it to prevent Israel’s spiritual contamination (Dt. 20:16–18)[4] as well as their payment for their own sinful practices (idol worship, child sacrifice) - only Rahab and those in her house were to be saved from destruction v17
Ø The walls came tumbling down v20
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Bible Geography: Is there archeological evidence for all of this destruction? (Show picture #2)
1- All archeological evidence from the 1930’s, 1950’s and as early as 1997 point towards heaps of clay bricks on top of a heap of stone bricks - this supports the reading of the text as “fell down under itself”
2- At the North end of Jericho archeologists have made some amazing discoveries (1907-1909)
a- there was a stretch of the lower city wall that had not fallen down as everywhere else
b- a portion of the mud brick was still standing at a height of over 8 ft
c- this is quite possibly the house of Rahab – which would support Joshua 2:15 that her house was built into the outer wall
3- As the city wall fell, archeology supports the text by showing that the collapsed brick walls formed a ramp up into the city of Jericho v20b
4- When archeologists reached the ground level they found a layer of burnt ash and debris about 3ft thick - 6:24
Transition: What beneficial application is there for the Christian today?
Conclusion: We can learn that obedience emerges from the heart that properly fears God.
Show slide:
1- Seeing God’s Faithfulness (to Israel and to us)
2- Must lead to a proper fear of God
3- Which must lead to obedience to God
God’s Faithfulness:
Ø Only as He is faithful will His promises stand
Ø Only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful may we live in peace and look forward with assurance of the life to come
Is your life peaceful?--Does peace flood your soul when you think about dying?--Are you worrying?--Are you fearful?--Are you tempted to lose your faith?
Come to the Savior!
Fear of God:
Ø The goal is seeing God’s faithfulness is to establish a daily tradition of growing in our fear of God
Ø To increase in your fear of God you must increase in your knowledge about God (Proverbs 1:7)
Ø How consistent are you in your knowledge of the Holy – Do you know what he demands of you?
Ø What does the fear of God look like? Proverbs 8:13 “to hate evil”
Obedience to God:
Ø Joshua’s fear of God lead him and Israel to obey every command in the battle of Jericho
Ø When the strategy of conquering Jericho was absurd they obeyed God
· they remembered the Red Sea Crossing
· they remembered the manna
· they remembered the Jordan River Crossing
· they remembered all that God was and all that God did
· and they obeyed!
Does your Knowledge of the Holy One prompt you to obey by…
1- Submitting to Christ for the salvation of your soul – the reality of hell
2- Fighting against getting angry at circumstances that are out of your control
3- Fighting against lustful looking
4- obedience to your parents
5- love for your neighbor
6- submission to your husband
7- obedience in church membership
8- obedience in financially giving back to a faithful God that has given so much to you
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[1]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 168.
[2]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 168.
[3]David M. Howard, Jr, vol. 5, Joshua, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1998), 169.
[4]D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition, Rev. Ed. of: The New Bible Commentary. 3rd Ed. / Edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), Jos 6:15.